'Criminals behind Alex attacks'

2008-05-15 18:02

Johannesburg - Criminal elements were behind xenophobic violence in Alexandra, Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said on Thursday.

Speaking to journalists after a meeting with community and provincial leaders, she said not only foreign nationals were attacked, but South Africans were also forced out of their houses.

"Two people who were killed were South Africans; a house belonging to a South African woman was attacked," she said.

No foreigners taking refuge at the police station would be deported whether they were documented or not. Some wanted refugee status while others were economic migrants, she said.

"We cannot use this opportunity... people are vulnerable and handed themselves to us, we cannot do that, foreigners are under siege...we have a responsibility to provide protection for them."

Deputy Safety and Security Minister Susan Shabangu said criminals saw an opportunity and fuelled the attacks on foreigners so they could loot their houses and rape women.

'Homeless rising against homeless'

Shabangu said police would remain in Alexandra to monitor the situation, until they were satisfied that it was calm.

She refuted allegations that police fired live ammunition.

"Police have not used live ammunition, but if they are under attack they will fire live rounds," she said.

Mapisa-Nqakula said there was a plan in place to return all displaced people, foreign and South African, to their houses before the end of this week.

Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba said an immigration help desk would be opened and schools would be visited to talk to school children because they (pupils) spear-headed the attack on foreigners.

He said the situation in Alexandra needed to be contained to prevent it from spreading to other parts of the country.

"This (attack) has many consequences, South Africans abroad can be victims of revenge attacks," he said.

He said the was no basis that foreigners were taking up jobs and houses from the locals.

"People who attacked foreigners are from shacks, same as the foreigners. It is a matter of homeless people rising against homeless people".

While they were in their meeting scores of displaced foreigners sat in tents erected to provide shelter for them, guarding the only belongings they could grab when they were attacked.

Alexandra calm

Sergio Bila, 22, from Mozambique said his computer and furniture were stolen on Tuesday night when he was attacked. He was hit with an iron rod on his head and on his right arm.

"If they do not want us here they should not allow us to gain entry at the border gates - they should close the gates and we will not come here," he said.

Bila said he had no intention of returning to Mozambique but would head to Rustenburg to look for employment on the mines. He was left only with his blood soaked clothes.

Alexandra was calm on Thursday, although many streets were still strewn with debris after the clashes.

- SAPA